"Rita! Is everything okay?" Shane furrowed her brow as she spoke into her phone and glanced at Oliver, who had been sitting at his desk poring over a mysterious letter. He looked up inquisitively at Shane with his signature raised eyebrow.

"Oh, Shane," Rita's bubbly voice sounded on the other end of the line. "Yes! Everything is perfectly amazing." She giggled.

Shane chuckled along with her friend. It was Monday morning, and Shane was already missing Rita's presence in the DLO, although a little extra attention from Oliver had been a very welcome distraction. He now stood up and began making his way to where his fiancée sat behind her rolling desk.

"So?" Shane asked, holding her left hand out in front of her and eyeing the engagement ring that Oliver had given her only two nights earlier. She still had a hard time believing that they were engaged, and she was over the moon with excitement. "How do you like married life? Did I make the right decision?" Shane asked playfully, cutting her eyes flirtatiously at Oliver as he approached.

Oliver smiled smugly at her, and stepping behind his bride-to-be, he wrapped his arms tightly around her. He leaned his head slightly over her shoulder, pretending to listen in. Shane moved the phone to her other ear, but that did not deter her fiancé. Oliver moved his head to the other side of her face, and she abruptly turned all the way around in her chair, placing her free hand on his chest and pushing him slightly as she gave him a feigned warning look. He raised his eyebrows and rocked slightly onto his toes and back again, his arms back by his sides and the mischievous expression remaining in place. Shane shook her head and suppressed her laughter as she tried to focus on what her friend was telling her.

"Oh, I think you are going to loooove being married," Rita was babbling. "At least the honeymoon part, anyway. But ask me again in a few months."

They laughed again.

"Okay, will do. How's the weather? Is it beautiful out there?"

"I, uh, I don't really know." Rita paused. "But our cabin is reeeally nice!"

"So no trips in the canoe yet, huh?" She stood up from her chair, flashing a smile at Oliver as he listened intently to her side of the conversation. "Rita, I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but you're on day two of your honeymoon...and you're calling me."

Rita was quiet for a moment, and Shane grimaced a little, hoping she hadn't embarrassed her friend. "Well, Norman just went to grab us some lunch to eat in, and well...I guess I just didn't know what to do with myself while he's gone. All of a sudden I felt pretty lonely." She chuckled again.

"Oh, Rita," Shane laughed and looked down at the floor. "I can only imagine. I bet this is the first time he's left you for any length of time since the wedding. Am I right?"

Shane could sense Rita's blush on the other end of the line, which seemed to transfer to her own face as she looked back up at Oliver. He scrunched his forehead and shook his head as if to say he didn't approve of Norman leaving his wife alone at all during their honeymoon, and Shane shrugged her shoulders at him. Oliver put his arms around Shane again and she bit her lip with a hint of a smile.

"Yeah. I didn't realize how much this would sting!" Rita chortled. "But he should be back any moment—at least I hope so, because I am starving. We haven't eaten much since— Oh, here he is! Gotta go!"

The call was disconnected and Shane made a face, pulling the phone from her ear and checking the screen. She looked back at Oliver and chuckled.

"I presume that Norman has returned to bride," he stated with an amused grin.

"Yes, and all of a sudden, Rita was done with our conversation." Shane rolled her eyes in feigned disgust.

"I wonder why," Oliver teased, then leaned in to capture his fiancée's lips with his own.

When they finally parted, Shane took a deep breath and looked up at Oliver shyly. "I imagine that's probably why," she spoke softly. "Although she did say she was starving."

"I wonder why," he repeated, then planted kisses on her cheek.

Shane giggled in delight and sighed. "I'm sure my hunger is no match for Rita's, but please tell me it's time for lunch," Shane pleaded, as Oliver's lips roamed over her face.

"It's time for lunch," he stated matter-of-factly, in between kisses.

"Oliver...you're going to get us in trouble."

"With whom?" he mumbled, still lavishing her.

"Huh. I don't know exactly, but let's hope we accomplish more this afternoon than we have this morning." Oliver pulled back to look at her as she gestured to his desk. "We have that whole stack of letters still waiting to be rerouted, and we're getting nowhere fast."

"We are missing half our team," he contended.

"Yes, but we also seem to be doing less than our share of the workload, so there could be a significant decrease in our output this week."

"Well," Oliver replied, pondering. "I believe we'll adjust—perhaps—but why don't we discuss new strategies over lunch, hmmm?"

Shane smirked. "Do you have any suggestions?"

"I haven't a single idea," he responded with a laugh. "Before we leave, though, we just have one piece of very important unfinished business."

"Oh? What's that?"

Placing his hands on her waist, he gently but firmly pulled her close, gazing so lovingly into her eyes that it took her breath away. "I cannot tell you how enjoyable, albeit distracting, it has been to attempt to work alone here in the DLO with my fiancée. To be quite honest with you, I must say that I am rather envious of our colleagues at the moment. Therefore, let's not make this a long engagement. Agreed?"

Shane felt weak in the knees at Oliver's confession. It was almost too much to take in—she was finally committed to be married to the man with whom her heart belonged, the man who truly adored her and made her feel as though she were the only woman in the world.

"Shane?"

"Oh! Sorry." She shook her head and took a deep breath. "Oliver, I would marry you right now."

He smiled softly at her and took her left hand, kissing her ring finger. "As much as I love that idea, I refuse to take away your opportunity for a dream wedding. I want you to have all the fun in the world planning whatever your heart desires."

"Oooh, whatever I want?" Shane's eyes sparkled.

"Well," he said with a shrug of his shoulder. "I trust you."

Shane was beaming. "Good. The first thing to determine is the date. So, what's your definition of a long engagement?"

Oliver became pensive. "I'd say six to eight...weeks."

Shane gasped. "Oliver! You want to get married in just a few weeks? There is so much to do."

Oliver looked back at her in confusion, one eyebrow lowered, the other raised. "Is that...not...enough time...to plan?" he inquired.

Shane looked at him thoughtfully. "I can make it work. I might have to take some time off from work, though," she replied, raising her eyebrows.

"Ms. McInerney." Oliver bored his eyes into hers. "I don't know if your section leader will excuse your absence. He's become quite accustomed to having you in the office every day, and the thought of working without you nearby might be unbearable."

"Well, Mr. O'Toole, my section leader will just have to remind himself that I will make up for every moment missed."

"Is that so?"

"Mmm-hmm. And that in a few short weeks, he can take me home with him when he leaves the office every day."

Oliver grinned from ear to ear and held her cheek in his hand. "In that case, he should be agreeable. It is even highly probable that he will share some accrued vacation time with you."

"That's awfully generous. I heard he's built up quite a bit."

"Yes, well, he worked several years with no plausible reason to take the time. Nowhere to go and no one with whom to go. But now he's found her, and thank God he did." Oliver pulled Shane close again and kissed her forehead.

The tone of their conversation took a sharp turn from being lighthearted and flirty to serious. Shane's eyes watered and her voice broke just as it did when Oliver had proposed. "Oh, Oliver." She wrapped her arms around him in a tight embrace and he returned the hug.

Oliver held one hand in the middle of her back and the other cradled her head as he spoke quietly into her ear. "I can't wait to marry you. I love you, my dear Shane."

Shane sniffed and whispered back, "And I love you, Oliver." Her heart soared as he gave her one more passionate kiss before escorting her out of the private confines of their workspace. This week in the DLO—without the accountability of their honeymooning colleagues—would be very interesting, indeed.